Written by Natasha Bailey Let me start off by saying that studying abroad through the MIX program was one of the best decisions I could have made. I decided to go on exchange at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, seeing as I am a business major at the University of Hawai'i. The money I saved by paying the same in-state college tuition that I normally pay allowed me to have a larger budget for traveling around Europe. After arriving in Europe, I explored many different options for traveling around: train, bus, plane, boat, bike, etc. I began to realize how affordable it was to travel using low-budget airlines such as Ryan Air and bus companies like FlixBus.
I arrived in Denmark in January of 2017 and left for home in July. By that time, I had been to 18 countries, all of which I loved for different reasons, but the biggest question I get asked is "Which country is your favorite?" I usually smile and sort of look off into the distance for a moment, recalling all of the amazing memories I have had, and then come back to reality and reply: "Switzerland." Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved my time in Denmark and would not change it for the world. Additionally, I was only in Switzerland for a day, but that day absolutely took my breath away. My friend Thomas and I dumped our bags in our Airbnb once we arrived in Zurich and walked around the town before watching the sunset. Besides having the best wi-fi I have ever experienced in my life, the town itself was so clean and organized. I was able to navigate Zurich with ease, and even the city of Lucerne was just as breath-taking when I visited the next day. Despite the diversity within each country in Europe, one similarity that I have found is the mixture of old architecture with modern buildings. The ability for each city to blend both the old and the new together while still making the transportation systems run effectively. The layout of the cities were practical in the sense that many cities were walk-able, but the public transportation was also cheap and easy to navigate. Bringing it back to Switzerland, I was pleasantly surprised by the old trams chugging away alongside an Audi, a BMW, a Maserati, a Mercedes, and so on. Even more people were walking through the winding cobblestone streets, and that is where I fell in love with Switzerland. Beyond that, each of the 18 countries I have visited from January to July brought a deeper understanding to my life by broadening my perspective from each country's individuality. I thoroughly enjoyed the positive moments, as well as the learning experiences. Living in a completely new environment challenged me to mold myself into someone who is adaptable, open-minded, and proactive to engage with others to learn more about the world around me.
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